One hundred sixty-one race cars packed the pits at Boone on Saturday night for their second weekly show of 2018. Thankfully, the wind was less violent than it had been for the previous two nights, though it did get cold before the races were complete about 10:45. Ricky Thornton, Jr. won a thrill packed IMCA Modified feature, Johnny Spaw took the win in the IMCA Stock Car class, and Austin Luellen repeated his win from last week in the IMCA Northern SportMod A main. Andrew Burg was victorious in the IMCA Hobby Stock main event, it was Mike Moore taking the checkers in the IMCA Racesaver Sprints debut of the season, and Travis Stensland won the feature in the Mod Lite division.
The early portion of the 15-lap Mod Lite feature was a battle between Bryan Zehm and Travis Stensland. Zehm made a slide for life around Charlie Brown at lap two to take the top spot, and Stensland tagged in right behind him to give chase. Stensland was finally able to make the pass for the lead on lap six and then put distance between himself and the rest of the field as he motored to a comfortable win. Zehm held the runner up spot, third went to Randy Bryan, Joe Glick went fourth and Mike Morrill completed the top five. Stensland started ninth on the field to take his first win at Boone in 2018. The race went caution free.
It was Johnathon Logue, Doug Smith, and Austin Luellen duking it out in the early going of the IMCA Northern SportMod main event. Smith nearly lost it in corner four at one point, which allowed both Logue and Luellen to slip around him. He was able to recover, and only dropped to third as the chase continued. The three continued their tight battle as the race wound down. Luellen managed to get the upper hand on the white flag lap, and held on for the win. Smith and Logue finished a close second and third in that order. Jake McBirnie was fourth and Hunter Longnecker had an impressive run from twenty-second starting spot, coming out of a B main, to finish in fifth. Luellen, who started eleventh, repeated his win from last week. Luellen has looked impressive this early season, also winning the season opener at Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night, and finishing third on Thursday night from starting twenty-second, on the first night of the High Banks Hustle also at Marshalltown.
The IMCA Racesaver Sprint Cars made their debut for the 2018 season, with a dozen of the winged warriors in attendance. Mike Moore, last year's track champion put it in victory lane again. Moore took command at lap eleven, and never looked back as he endured through a caution at lap fifteen and another at lap seventeen. Tyler Thompson finished as the runner up, C. J. Houseman took third over Devin Wignall and Joel Thorpe in fourth and fifth respectively.
Johnny Spaw won an amazing IMCA Stock Car race that thrilled the crowd. Spaw started tenth and was able to get the best of Wayne Gifford. Spaw just nipped Gifford at the finish line after the two battled lap after lap, getting the crowd on it's feet. Third place finisher, Troy Jerovetz was in the thick of the battle up front much of the time as well, and just managed to hold off Michael Murphy who finished fourth, and close behind, Donavon Smith in fifth. Spaw, a veteran racer from Cedar Rapids, who has raced both asphalts and dirt, took his first ever win at Boone...well since 1974 he explained in victory lane...on a mini-bike.
Not to be out done, the IMCA 20-lap Modified feature was quite the thriller as well. Eric Elliott led the opening laps but it was Ricky Thornton that quickly made his way from ninth starting spot, to be on Elliott's tail. Thornton made the pass for the lead at lap seven, and pulled away looking destined for the easy win. However, a caution at lap fourteen bunched the field, and made for an interesting restart. As the race went green, Tim Ward flew from fifth starting spot, into second and then the two Arizona natives went to battle in the closing laps. Ward briefly took the lead on lap nineteen, only to have Thornton snatch it away in the final run to the checkers. Thornton took the win, and tenth place starter Ward, had to be content with second. Eric Elliott finished third, fourth went to Josh Gilman and eleventh place starter, Josh Most rounded out the top five.
The 12-lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature closed out the night's racing action. Andrew Burg started tenth, reeled in leader Daniel Smith and quickly took advantage of Smith's slip up the track in turn one. Burg scooted to the lead and pulled away to claim an easy victory. Finishing a distant second was Minnesota driver Dylan Nelson, Daniel Smith was third, fourth place was Adair, Iowa's Adam Ayers, and Ryan Wells was fifth.
It was noted that there several disqualifications in the Modified heat races, all for an illegal mud plug. A new rule this season in the Modified class specifies that the outer plug cover must be WELDED to the wheel, and some drivers obviously missed that new rule.
Racing action continues next Saturday night, May 5, when it will be the first of several Super Saturdays presented by IMCATV. The IMCA Modifieds will run Twin Qualifiers for $500 to win. The Modified feature will then pay $1,000 to the winner. The IMCA Hobby Stocks will also be vying for $500 to win. They are the first of the other classes that will be vying for extra cash in the coming weeks.
We completed our fourth straight night of racing last night, and Sunday is going to indeed be a day of rest and recovery for us. Here's hoping Mother Nature is now going to give forth to some much more pleasant temperatures and calm winds for us race fans.
It was announced last evening, that the weekly Saturday races during the month of May, will also be starting one hour earlier. Hot laps are 5:45 and racing at 6:30.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Saturday, April 28, 2018
DeFrance and Murty repeat on Night 2 of the High Banks Hustle
Marshalltown Speedway held the second night of the Twin High Banks Hustle on Friday night, and it was also opening night for season points. An even stiffer wind than the previous night was endured by the crowd on hand and with 158 race cars filling the pits, competition was also stiff. There was close racing in all classes last evening, and the track stayed smooth and fast.
Darrel DeFrance repeated his win from the night before in the IMCA Late Model contest, as did Damon Murty in the IMCA Stock Car main event. Austin Luellen put his #3A IMCA Northern SportMod into victory lane, as did Eric Stanton in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. Racing for the first time this season was the MADCRA Mod Lites, and it was Randy Bryan with the win in that class.
The Mod Lite's debuted their season at the Speedway. The feature saw Jason Masengarb, from Colona, Illinois leading the early laps with veteran Mike Morrill running him down. Morrill reeled in the leader, briefly grabbed the lead as they passed the flagstand at lap eleven, only to slide off the slick track. No caution was thrown, and Masengarb continued his lead. He had some late company competition as the laps wound down. Randy Bryan started tenth, and was the victor who stole the lead away with just two laps remaining, leaving Masengarb to be content with the runner up spot. Third went to Travis Stensland, Bryan Zehm was fourth, and Eric Turner rounded out the top five.
Lucas Lamberies made the trek down from Shawano, Wisconsin and after having the worst draw in his heat, he made up for it with drawing the #1 pill for the feature. When the race went green, Lambreries looked to have his eye on the checkers as he led the IMCA Northern SportMod feature through lap eleven. However, Austin Luellen had other ideas as he made the pass into the top spot and then held it the remaining nine laps to take the win. Lambreries held second place, third went to Brayton Carter who started eighth, Sam Wieben was fourth and Taylor Musselman was fifth. The feature went caution free.
The IMCA Hobby Stock main event saw a real battle at the front of the pack. Eric Stanton led from the start only to have Eldora, Iowa's David Reiks hot on his tail. The two swapped leads a few times, and maybe traded a bit of paint, but in the end, it was Eric Stanton battling back around David Rieks to secure his first win of the season. Following a close third behind Rieks was previous night winner, Shannon Anderson who had started twelfth on the field. Chanse Hollatz came from ninth starting spot to claim fourth, and lady racer Leah Wroten was fifth.
Damon Murty matched his win from the previous night in the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Murty started seventh and ran down front runners Jeff Mueller, Randy Brands, and Jay Schmidt. Murty took to his preferred topside of the high banks, (he's claimed that topside as his own, I think we can refer to it as "The Murty line") and snapped up the lead at lap eleven. He then pulled away to take yet another comfortable win. Brands was second, Mueller held third, Travis VanStraten from Hortonville, Wisconsin, and a former IMCA National Champion, was fourth and Jay Schmidt finished fifth.
Another driver matching a win from night #1 of the Twin High Banks Hustle, was Darrel DeFrance in the IMCA Late Models. DeFrance, a crowd favorite, also led all laps for the second night in a row to take the victory. Todd Cooney made a late race charge through the field, and finished a close second, third was Kyle Hinrichs, from Swisher, Iowa, fourth went to Joe Zroslik and Richie Gustin was fifth. After witnessing Todd Cooney and Curtis Glover take rollovers the previous night, and more damage to other cars involved in the incident, we were quite surprised to see them back in action. We understand they put in a lot of time in getting their rides back in racing form. Thirteen Late Models checked in for the night's racing.
The night capped off with the 20-lap $1,000 to win IMCA Modified feature. The twenty-four car starting field had to be whittled down through two B main events due to the 43 stout field of drivers. Those wins went to Ethan Dotson and Kelly Shryock. Ricky Thornton had little trouble in his run to the checkers, as he lead flag to flag. Hunter Marriott started on the outside front row along side the winner, and chased him the distance to capture second. Third went to fifth place starter, Cayden Carter, Kyle Brown was fourth, and Richie Gustin finished fifth.
The racing was great all night long on the smooth track. It was no less uncomfortable sitting in the stands however, as the wind was stronger than the night before. It wasn't easy trying to keep my notebook from flying out of my hand and trying to write! It was another cold night too, but what a field of cars to watch to make the night endurable!
We also got a big surprise, when Blake Anderson showed up in the stands, and joined Jerry Vansickel on the mic! Anderson, who is from Newton, Iowa, began his announcing career as a Racing Rascal right there in Marshalltown, and has now made it his profession. He works for the All Star Circuit of Champions in Indianapolis, Indiana. His boss....Tony Stewart.
Racing continues next Friday night, May 4, with racing in all six divisions. The green flag drops at 7:30.
Darrel DeFrance repeated his win from the night before in the IMCA Late Model contest, as did Damon Murty in the IMCA Stock Car main event. Austin Luellen put his #3A IMCA Northern SportMod into victory lane, as did Eric Stanton in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. Racing for the first time this season was the MADCRA Mod Lites, and it was Randy Bryan with the win in that class.
The Mod Lite's debuted their season at the Speedway. The feature saw Jason Masengarb, from Colona, Illinois leading the early laps with veteran Mike Morrill running him down. Morrill reeled in the leader, briefly grabbed the lead as they passed the flagstand at lap eleven, only to slide off the slick track. No caution was thrown, and Masengarb continued his lead. He had some late company competition as the laps wound down. Randy Bryan started tenth, and was the victor who stole the lead away with just two laps remaining, leaving Masengarb to be content with the runner up spot. Third went to Travis Stensland, Bryan Zehm was fourth, and Eric Turner rounded out the top five.
Lucas Lamberies made the trek down from Shawano, Wisconsin and after having the worst draw in his heat, he made up for it with drawing the #1 pill for the feature. When the race went green, Lambreries looked to have his eye on the checkers as he led the IMCA Northern SportMod feature through lap eleven. However, Austin Luellen had other ideas as he made the pass into the top spot and then held it the remaining nine laps to take the win. Lambreries held second place, third went to Brayton Carter who started eighth, Sam Wieben was fourth and Taylor Musselman was fifth. The feature went caution free.
The IMCA Hobby Stock main event saw a real battle at the front of the pack. Eric Stanton led from the start only to have Eldora, Iowa's David Reiks hot on his tail. The two swapped leads a few times, and maybe traded a bit of paint, but in the end, it was Eric Stanton battling back around David Rieks to secure his first win of the season. Following a close third behind Rieks was previous night winner, Shannon Anderson who had started twelfth on the field. Chanse Hollatz came from ninth starting spot to claim fourth, and lady racer Leah Wroten was fifth.
Damon Murty matched his win from the previous night in the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car feature. Murty started seventh and ran down front runners Jeff Mueller, Randy Brands, and Jay Schmidt. Murty took to his preferred topside of the high banks, (he's claimed that topside as his own, I think we can refer to it as "The Murty line") and snapped up the lead at lap eleven. He then pulled away to take yet another comfortable win. Brands was second, Mueller held third, Travis VanStraten from Hortonville, Wisconsin, and a former IMCA National Champion, was fourth and Jay Schmidt finished fifth.
Another driver matching a win from night #1 of the Twin High Banks Hustle, was Darrel DeFrance in the IMCA Late Models. DeFrance, a crowd favorite, also led all laps for the second night in a row to take the victory. Todd Cooney made a late race charge through the field, and finished a close second, third was Kyle Hinrichs, from Swisher, Iowa, fourth went to Joe Zroslik and Richie Gustin was fifth. After witnessing Todd Cooney and Curtis Glover take rollovers the previous night, and more damage to other cars involved in the incident, we were quite surprised to see them back in action. We understand they put in a lot of time in getting their rides back in racing form. Thirteen Late Models checked in for the night's racing.
The night capped off with the 20-lap $1,000 to win IMCA Modified feature. The twenty-four car starting field had to be whittled down through two B main events due to the 43 stout field of drivers. Those wins went to Ethan Dotson and Kelly Shryock. Ricky Thornton had little trouble in his run to the checkers, as he lead flag to flag. Hunter Marriott started on the outside front row along side the winner, and chased him the distance to capture second. Third went to fifth place starter, Cayden Carter, Kyle Brown was fourth, and Richie Gustin finished fifth.
The racing was great all night long on the smooth track. It was no less uncomfortable sitting in the stands however, as the wind was stronger than the night before. It wasn't easy trying to keep my notebook from flying out of my hand and trying to write! It was another cold night too, but what a field of cars to watch to make the night endurable!
We also got a big surprise, when Blake Anderson showed up in the stands, and joined Jerry Vansickel on the mic! Anderson, who is from Newton, Iowa, began his announcing career as a Racing Rascal right there in Marshalltown, and has now made it his profession. He works for the All Star Circuit of Champions in Indianapolis, Indiana. His boss....Tony Stewart.
Racing continues next Friday night, May 4, with racing in all six divisions. The green flag drops at 7:30.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Rust Hustles to first High Banks event
Marshalltown Speedway was finally able to put race number one of 2018 into the books on Thursday night, when it held the first of the Twin High Banks Hustles. Week after week of weathered out scheduled races, plagued the fast quarter-mile and promoter Toby Kruse was determined to get the track going with a special Thursday night show.
I counted 119 race cars participating last evening, and the 42 Modifieds gave forth to ten and eleven cars in a heat....which were more like features! The stout field of drivers was impressive. The SportMods had twenty-seven the Hobby Stocks twenty-one, Stock Cars seventeen, and Late Models yielded a dozen cars.
Hometown boy, Darrel DeFrance, snapped up the feature win in the IMCA Late Model division, Joel Rust held off a last minute charge to win the IMCA Modified feature, and it was Damon Murty once again showing his prowess on the track with the IMCA Stock Car victory. Jared VanDeest secured his first win at Marshalltown of the 2018 season in the IMCA Northern SportMods, and it was multi-time IMCA National Hobby Stock champion, Shannon Anderson taking yet another win.
The Northern SportMods kicked off the night's feature racing. The 20-lap A main was led early by Travis Storjohann as he led the troops through the opening laps, only to have sixth place starter Jared VanDeest take over the top spot at lap four. From there on, it was all VanDeest's race, as he kept that lead to the checkers to take the win. Following in second place was Brayton Carter with a great run, third went to Austin Luellen who had to start 22nd on the field and qualifying through the B main, Dusty Masolini finished fourth, and fourteenth place starter, and defending track champion Sam Wieben, came home in fifth.
It took the fourth try before the IMCA Hobby Stockers got the first lap in the book. Whether it was being too anxious, rookie mistakes, etc., it was getting a bit frustrating for the fans sitting in the cold and wind, but no doubt for the drivers as well. When it finally went green, it was none other than Shannon Anderson holding the top spot. Anderson, who started sixth, was only threatened in the closing laps when Eric Stanton closed in and challenged, only to be denied. Stanton started tenth, and had to settle for the runner up spot. Third place finisher Gene Nicklas came from eleventh starting position, to finish third, just passing fourth place Justin Wacha in the closing moments, and Worthington, Minnesota racer Keeran Sampson rounded out the top five.
Damon Murty added to his list of IMCA Stock Car victories, taking home yet another win in the 20-lap event. Murty caught leader Jay Schmidt and after a spirited battle, took over the lead on lap nine. The final laps saw Murty drive away to take the easy win. Jeff Mueller got by Jay Schmidt in the closing laps, as they finished second and third respectively. Paul Shepard finished in fourth, and Tyler Pickett was fifth.
Joel Rust established the lead from his outside front row starting spot as the IMCA Modified feature went green. Rust would then hold that lead the entire race on his way to winning the $1,000 prize and qualifying for the Fast Shafts All-Star ballot. Rust had to hold off the threats of Hunter Marriott in the closing moments, but Marriott's attempts did not work, and he had to be content with the runner up spot. Ninth place starter Tyler Droste was third, Tim Ward was fourth, and Ethan Dotson was fifth.
Darrel DeFrance grabbed the lead when the green flag flew in the IMCA 20-lap Late Model night cap, only to have the race red flagged with one lap down for a nasty looking incident on the backstretch. Seven cars were involved in the mayhem, with the cars of Curtis Glover and Todd Cooney rolling. Thankfully, no one was injured, but several cars were eliminated in the unfortunate incident. When the race was restarted, it was DeFrance keeping his run at the front, and maintaining it all the way home to the checkers. Chad Holliday was second, Rob Toland took third, fourth went Curt Schroeder, and Luke Pestka was fifth. There may be some cars unable to race tonight due to the pile up just before turn three, and with some drivers probably destined for their home track racing tonight mainly in eastern Iowa, the Late Models may be short indeed for night two of the High Banks Hustle.
It wasn't pleasant sitting out in the strong northwesterly wind last night, and everyone was bundled up. Well, not every one! How some people come with flip flops, shorts and t-shirts is beyond me!
Our vehicle is always loaded with extra layers, extra blankets, gloves, hand warmers, etc.,...even into the summer months. It's Iowa!
We were happy to see racing friends and family last evening, and nice to be joined by fellow Positively Racing writers Jeff Broeg, (head guru) Danny Rosencrans, and sitting not far from us was Wisconsinite, Ed Reichert. Be sure and check their takes of the night's action as well.
The second of the Twin High Banks Hustles will be run tonight,along with the Mod Lites joining the other five classes racing. Hot laps are 7 with racing at 7:30. Hope to see some of you there, and pray for calmer winds!
I counted 119 race cars participating last evening, and the 42 Modifieds gave forth to ten and eleven cars in a heat....which were more like features! The stout field of drivers was impressive. The SportMods had twenty-seven the Hobby Stocks twenty-one, Stock Cars seventeen, and Late Models yielded a dozen cars.
Hometown boy, Darrel DeFrance, snapped up the feature win in the IMCA Late Model division, Joel Rust held off a last minute charge to win the IMCA Modified feature, and it was Damon Murty once again showing his prowess on the track with the IMCA Stock Car victory. Jared VanDeest secured his first win at Marshalltown of the 2018 season in the IMCA Northern SportMods, and it was multi-time IMCA National Hobby Stock champion, Shannon Anderson taking yet another win.
The Northern SportMods kicked off the night's feature racing. The 20-lap A main was led early by Travis Storjohann as he led the troops through the opening laps, only to have sixth place starter Jared VanDeest take over the top spot at lap four. From there on, it was all VanDeest's race, as he kept that lead to the checkers to take the win. Following in second place was Brayton Carter with a great run, third went to Austin Luellen who had to start 22nd on the field and qualifying through the B main, Dusty Masolini finished fourth, and fourteenth place starter, and defending track champion Sam Wieben, came home in fifth.
It took the fourth try before the IMCA Hobby Stockers got the first lap in the book. Whether it was being too anxious, rookie mistakes, etc., it was getting a bit frustrating for the fans sitting in the cold and wind, but no doubt for the drivers as well. When it finally went green, it was none other than Shannon Anderson holding the top spot. Anderson, who started sixth, was only threatened in the closing laps when Eric Stanton closed in and challenged, only to be denied. Stanton started tenth, and had to settle for the runner up spot. Third place finisher Gene Nicklas came from eleventh starting position, to finish third, just passing fourth place Justin Wacha in the closing moments, and Worthington, Minnesota racer Keeran Sampson rounded out the top five.
Damon Murty added to his list of IMCA Stock Car victories, taking home yet another win in the 20-lap event. Murty caught leader Jay Schmidt and after a spirited battle, took over the lead on lap nine. The final laps saw Murty drive away to take the easy win. Jeff Mueller got by Jay Schmidt in the closing laps, as they finished second and third respectively. Paul Shepard finished in fourth, and Tyler Pickett was fifth.
Joel Rust established the lead from his outside front row starting spot as the IMCA Modified feature went green. Rust would then hold that lead the entire race on his way to winning the $1,000 prize and qualifying for the Fast Shafts All-Star ballot. Rust had to hold off the threats of Hunter Marriott in the closing moments, but Marriott's attempts did not work, and he had to be content with the runner up spot. Ninth place starter Tyler Droste was third, Tim Ward was fourth, and Ethan Dotson was fifth.
Darrel DeFrance grabbed the lead when the green flag flew in the IMCA 20-lap Late Model night cap, only to have the race red flagged with one lap down for a nasty looking incident on the backstretch. Seven cars were involved in the mayhem, with the cars of Curtis Glover and Todd Cooney rolling. Thankfully, no one was injured, but several cars were eliminated in the unfortunate incident. When the race was restarted, it was DeFrance keeping his run at the front, and maintaining it all the way home to the checkers. Chad Holliday was second, Rob Toland took third, fourth went Curt Schroeder, and Luke Pestka was fifth. There may be some cars unable to race tonight due to the pile up just before turn three, and with some drivers probably destined for their home track racing tonight mainly in eastern Iowa, the Late Models may be short indeed for night two of the High Banks Hustle.
It wasn't pleasant sitting out in the strong northwesterly wind last night, and everyone was bundled up. Well, not every one! How some people come with flip flops, shorts and t-shirts is beyond me!
Our vehicle is always loaded with extra layers, extra blankets, gloves, hand warmers, etc.,...even into the summer months. It's Iowa!
We were happy to see racing friends and family last evening, and nice to be joined by fellow Positively Racing writers Jeff Broeg, (head guru) Danny Rosencrans, and sitting not far from us was Wisconsinite, Ed Reichert. Be sure and check their takes of the night's action as well.
The second of the Twin High Banks Hustles will be run tonight,along with the Mod Lites joining the other five classes racing. Hot laps are 7 with racing at 7:30. Hope to see some of you there, and pray for calmer winds!
Thursday, April 26, 2018
New Season, Familiar Faces in Victory Lane at Osky
We were happy to be sitting back in the old covered grandstand at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Wednesday night. Not only because it was the beginning of their race season, but mainly because there had been talk of not even having racing in 2018. But thanks to the efforts of many, and a big part of it by Nathan Wood, the stock car racer who pilots the #52, the Wednesday night tradition continues!
This year, the big old half-mile monster is running non-sanctioned and due to the low car count in the Modified division last year, they are not on the program. The stock cars, sportmods, hobby stocks and compacts are the weekly divisions.
The compacts ran their 10-lap feature first, and before the field got to the flagstand, cars were getting squirrley, and the 41 of Nathan Moody put his name in the books as the first roll over of the year. Moody was not hurt, but his night was done. The ensuing feature saw veteran racer, Bill "Happy Feet" Whalen lead the race from flag to flag on his way to victory. Jimmy Harring and Tyler Harring were second and third, fourth went to Kyle Boyd, and Billy Cain came home in fifth. Whalen was happy and emoitional in victory lane as he dedicated his win to his brother and fellow-racer John Whalen who is recovering from a stroke over the off-season.
Cayden Carter set his Orange Crush, Sniper chassis, Roger Kelderman owned ride back in victory lane in the stock car class. He started sixth and had to run down early leader Nathan Wood in doing so. A green-white-checkered finish drew the field closer after his comfortable lead, but Carter had no trouble in keeping the top spot to the checkers. Wood finished as the runner up, Mike Hughes was third after starting in eleventh spot, Brett Lowry, piloting the orange 4M of Mike McClure, was fourth, and Dustin Griffiths, doing double duty in the stocks and hobby stocks, rounded out the top five.
The sportmod feature saw Jason McDaniel take the lead from Jason Hall by lap four. He soon had company in Curtis VanDerWal however, and the two began to battle. VanDerWal won that duel soon, and would race off to another comfortable win. McDaniel held second place, followed by Brayton Carter, Cory VanZante and Blaine Webster, third through fifth. VanDerWal who knows his way around the big old Monster half-mile, looks to be back in his usual winning form already.
The feature racing ended with the 15-lap hobby stock A main. Aaron Martin led the early portion of the race but a yellow at lap six bunched up the field for the restart. By this time, the 10G of Dustin Griffiths was positioned in second place, and eager for the restart. He quickly took advantage of that restart, and flew to the lead. Griffiths held off the rest of the field, and took the win. Scott Shull, in his sharp looking #57 Terminator, came from tenth starting spot, to finish second. Third went to Eric Stanton who started eleventh and gave second place a shot late only to fall short, early leader Aaron Martin was fourth, and Brandon Cox completed the top five.
A few notes from the night: Hot shoe Ricky Thornton was driving the 20RT stock car last night. Thornton, who hails from Arizona, but now calls Clive, Iowa home, is more often found in a modified and has had much success in snagging some pretty impressive big time races. A familiar looking green #409 stock car was back racing last evening too. Howard Gordon, Jr., who has been M.I.A. for several years, looks to be back in weekly action at Osky. One stock car did not hit the track at all last night, that being the #62 of John Hunnell, who must have had some issues preventing him from taking to the track. Another of the VanDenBerg racing family, Jarrett VanDenBerg, was debuting in the sportmod class. He was in the 22V, and is the younger brother of Carter VanDenBerg. Carter jumped up to the modified class this year, so will no doubt, be spending his time on Wednesday nights helping his younger brother. Another driver from years gone by that made his appearance in the hobby stock division, was the 1R of Rick VanDusseldorp. Nice to see him back in action after several year's absence as well.
Racing action moved along quickly last night, ending at 9:12 p.m. I counted 61 cars that checked into the track and there was a decent crowd on hand to watch the opening night's action, on a track that stayed smooth all night long. Prior to the start of racing action, the kids got to enjoy a ride around the track with many of the drivers, much to their delight. Many of those children are the future of racing, so great to get them involved. The night was an enjoyable one, and the weather cooperated quite well for a change! We were glad to spend the night visiting with racing friends/family as well, which always makes the time more enjoyable.
Racing action continues next Wednesday night, with hot laps scheduled for 7 and green flag racing at 7:30.
This year, the big old half-mile monster is running non-sanctioned and due to the low car count in the Modified division last year, they are not on the program. The stock cars, sportmods, hobby stocks and compacts are the weekly divisions.
The compacts ran their 10-lap feature first, and before the field got to the flagstand, cars were getting squirrley, and the 41 of Nathan Moody put his name in the books as the first roll over of the year. Moody was not hurt, but his night was done. The ensuing feature saw veteran racer, Bill "Happy Feet" Whalen lead the race from flag to flag on his way to victory. Jimmy Harring and Tyler Harring were second and third, fourth went to Kyle Boyd, and Billy Cain came home in fifth. Whalen was happy and emoitional in victory lane as he dedicated his win to his brother and fellow-racer John Whalen who is recovering from a stroke over the off-season.
Cayden Carter set his Orange Crush, Sniper chassis, Roger Kelderman owned ride back in victory lane in the stock car class. He started sixth and had to run down early leader Nathan Wood in doing so. A green-white-checkered finish drew the field closer after his comfortable lead, but Carter had no trouble in keeping the top spot to the checkers. Wood finished as the runner up, Mike Hughes was third after starting in eleventh spot, Brett Lowry, piloting the orange 4M of Mike McClure, was fourth, and Dustin Griffiths, doing double duty in the stocks and hobby stocks, rounded out the top five.
The sportmod feature saw Jason McDaniel take the lead from Jason Hall by lap four. He soon had company in Curtis VanDerWal however, and the two began to battle. VanDerWal won that duel soon, and would race off to another comfortable win. McDaniel held second place, followed by Brayton Carter, Cory VanZante and Blaine Webster, third through fifth. VanDerWal who knows his way around the big old Monster half-mile, looks to be back in his usual winning form already.
The feature racing ended with the 15-lap hobby stock A main. Aaron Martin led the early portion of the race but a yellow at lap six bunched up the field for the restart. By this time, the 10G of Dustin Griffiths was positioned in second place, and eager for the restart. He quickly took advantage of that restart, and flew to the lead. Griffiths held off the rest of the field, and took the win. Scott Shull, in his sharp looking #57 Terminator, came from tenth starting spot, to finish second. Third went to Eric Stanton who started eleventh and gave second place a shot late only to fall short, early leader Aaron Martin was fourth, and Brandon Cox completed the top five.
A few notes from the night: Hot shoe Ricky Thornton was driving the 20RT stock car last night. Thornton, who hails from Arizona, but now calls Clive, Iowa home, is more often found in a modified and has had much success in snagging some pretty impressive big time races. A familiar looking green #409 stock car was back racing last evening too. Howard Gordon, Jr., who has been M.I.A. for several years, looks to be back in weekly action at Osky. One stock car did not hit the track at all last night, that being the #62 of John Hunnell, who must have had some issues preventing him from taking to the track. Another of the VanDenBerg racing family, Jarrett VanDenBerg, was debuting in the sportmod class. He was in the 22V, and is the younger brother of Carter VanDenBerg. Carter jumped up to the modified class this year, so will no doubt, be spending his time on Wednesday nights helping his younger brother. Another driver from years gone by that made his appearance in the hobby stock division, was the 1R of Rick VanDusseldorp. Nice to see him back in action after several year's absence as well.
Racing action moved along quickly last night, ending at 9:12 p.m. I counted 61 cars that checked into the track and there was a decent crowd on hand to watch the opening night's action, on a track that stayed smooth all night long. Prior to the start of racing action, the kids got to enjoy a ride around the track with many of the drivers, much to their delight. Many of those children are the future of racing, so great to get them involved. The night was an enjoyable one, and the weather cooperated quite well for a change! We were glad to spend the night visiting with racing friends/family as well, which always makes the time more enjoyable.
Racing action continues next Wednesday night, with hot laps scheduled for 7 and green flag racing at 7:30.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Gustin releases the Rage in Boone Speedway opener
Boone Speedway finally got the first race of the season in the books on Saturday night, after fighting Mother Nature for weeks. And we finally got our FIRST race of 2018 in the books! It's been a long winter! Their first originally scheduled race was the Frostbuster back on April 7, but Mother Nature was playing havoc, and that got moved forward to April 14. The weather did not cooperate on that date as well, and it was canceled. This then moved opening night to April 21, and though the weather could have been better, the racing did not disappoint.
The pits were filled with 157 race cars in the divisions that began their points chase. Jimmy Gustin looked dominate in taking the win in the IMCA Modified class, Trent Murphy held off a late race threat to win the IMCA Stock Car feature, and Eric Stanton got back to his winning ways in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Austin Luellen finished comfortably ahead of his nearest competitor in the IMCA SportMod main event, and it was Randy Bryan taking the win in the Mod Lite division. As an added bonus, the night was capped off with a King of the Hill in the IMCA Modified class with Nick Roberts taking home the prize.
The Mod Lites kicked off the night's feature racing. Randy Bryan led the 15-lap A main from start to finish, to start his season off on the right foot. He held off Travis Stensland in second place, Joel Huggins finished third, Bryan Zehm was fourth and Terry Brown completed the top five. This division got the award for having the first roll over of the season, as Charlie Brown took a tumble in corner four, just as the feature began. He was not hurt, but his night was done.
Austin Luellen took command of the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature just after lap six was scored. From there on, he never looked back on his way to victory. He finished comfortably ahead of second place Ryan King, Taylor Musselman finished third, fourth was Dusty Masolini, and Jake McBirnie was fifth. The final few laps got the running order shuffled when three cars tangled with just four laps remaining. Second place runner, Hunter Longnecker got loose in corner four, and got collected by Brett Meyer and Sam Wieben. The yellow flew, and the three were relegated to the back, ending their hopes of a top five finish.
Jimmy Gustin kicked his season run off in fine fashion with a dominating win in the IMCA 20-lap Modified feature. Gustin, in his Rage chassis, started seventh, and worked his way to then leader Josh Gilman's tail by lap eight. On lap eleven, Gustin snatched up the top spot, and then pulled away to take the feature win easily. Gilman held on to claim second place, with Scott Hogan having a great run, a close third. Josh Truman and Ethan Dotson were fourth and fifth respectively.
Trent Murphy captured the checkers in the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car main event. He held off a hard charging Johnny Spaw from Cedar Rapids, to claim the win. Spaw is a veteran racer, having raced asphalt and dirt both. Third place went to Jay Schmidt who started 22nd in the starting line up and having to qualify through a B main, fourth was Reid Keller, and Josh Daniels was fifth. Early leader Cody Gustoff suffered a flat tire at lap eight, and had to call it a night after looking strong out of the gate.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks completed the nights feature racing and a familiar face went back to victory lane. Eric Stanton swapped the lead with Justin Wacha several times before claiming the lead for good on his way to another winner's circle interview. Following second place Wacha was Worthington, Minnesota driver, Malik Sampson who claimed third, fourth went to David Rieks, and Andrew Burg was fifth. Stanton, who has been the Hobby Stock track champion at Boone the past two years, looks to be strong again in 2018.
The evening ended with the Harris Auto Racing/IMCATV King of the Hill for the Modifieds. Sixteen competitors were narrowed down to three remaining drivers through eliminating rounds, and standing atop the Hill and $1,000 in his pocket was Nick Roberts. He bested Ethan Dotson and Josh Gilman in the finale that pitted the three drivers head to head. Other drivers participating in the contest were Andy Tiernan, Jason Hickingbottom, Al Wolfgram, Tony Hilgenberg, Eric Elliott, Randy Havlik, Devon Havlik, Mike VanGenderen, Tony Cox, Cory Sauerman, Shawn Ritter, Russ Dickerson, and Todd Shute.
Hot laps were scheduled for 5:45 last evening, with racing at 6:30. The HUGE line of drivers lined up at the pit shack at those times, changed all of that. Though the track was hoping that drivers would heed the plea to register on line early, thus making check in go faster, less than a dozen of the drivers accomplished that. Thus, racing action had the green flag drop at 7:25 p.m.
The track is implementing the My Race Pass app this year, which has many tracks signing up. It allows fans access to the line ups and results among other special features. It seems to be the new thing this year and it's worth a look at if you have not done so already. It can be found on your smart phone's app downloads.
Racing action kicks back into gear next Saturday night, April 28, at the Boone Speedway with hot laps scheduled for 5:45, and racing at 6:30. The IMCA RaceSaver Sprint cars will begin their season as they join the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, and Mod Lites. The following week, the track goes back to its regular start time of 7:30.
The pits were filled with 157 race cars in the divisions that began their points chase. Jimmy Gustin looked dominate in taking the win in the IMCA Modified class, Trent Murphy held off a late race threat to win the IMCA Stock Car feature, and Eric Stanton got back to his winning ways in the IMCA Hobby Stocks. Austin Luellen finished comfortably ahead of his nearest competitor in the IMCA SportMod main event, and it was Randy Bryan taking the win in the Mod Lite division. As an added bonus, the night was capped off with a King of the Hill in the IMCA Modified class with Nick Roberts taking home the prize.
The Mod Lites kicked off the night's feature racing. Randy Bryan led the 15-lap A main from start to finish, to start his season off on the right foot. He held off Travis Stensland in second place, Joel Huggins finished third, Bryan Zehm was fourth and Terry Brown completed the top five. This division got the award for having the first roll over of the season, as Charlie Brown took a tumble in corner four, just as the feature began. He was not hurt, but his night was done.
Austin Luellen took command of the 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature just after lap six was scored. From there on, he never looked back on his way to victory. He finished comfortably ahead of second place Ryan King, Taylor Musselman finished third, fourth was Dusty Masolini, and Jake McBirnie was fifth. The final few laps got the running order shuffled when three cars tangled with just four laps remaining. Second place runner, Hunter Longnecker got loose in corner four, and got collected by Brett Meyer and Sam Wieben. The yellow flew, and the three were relegated to the back, ending their hopes of a top five finish.
Jimmy Gustin kicked his season run off in fine fashion with a dominating win in the IMCA 20-lap Modified feature. Gustin, in his Rage chassis, started seventh, and worked his way to then leader Josh Gilman's tail by lap eight. On lap eleven, Gustin snatched up the top spot, and then pulled away to take the feature win easily. Gilman held on to claim second place, with Scott Hogan having a great run, a close third. Josh Truman and Ethan Dotson were fourth and fifth respectively.
Trent Murphy captured the checkers in the 18-lap IMCA Stock Car main event. He held off a hard charging Johnny Spaw from Cedar Rapids, to claim the win. Spaw is a veteran racer, having raced asphalt and dirt both. Third place went to Jay Schmidt who started 22nd in the starting line up and having to qualify through a B main, fourth was Reid Keller, and Josh Daniels was fifth. Early leader Cody Gustoff suffered a flat tire at lap eight, and had to call it a night after looking strong out of the gate.
The IMCA Hobby Stocks completed the nights feature racing and a familiar face went back to victory lane. Eric Stanton swapped the lead with Justin Wacha several times before claiming the lead for good on his way to another winner's circle interview. Following second place Wacha was Worthington, Minnesota driver, Malik Sampson who claimed third, fourth went to David Rieks, and Andrew Burg was fifth. Stanton, who has been the Hobby Stock track champion at Boone the past two years, looks to be strong again in 2018.
The evening ended with the Harris Auto Racing/IMCATV King of the Hill for the Modifieds. Sixteen competitors were narrowed down to three remaining drivers through eliminating rounds, and standing atop the Hill and $1,000 in his pocket was Nick Roberts. He bested Ethan Dotson and Josh Gilman in the finale that pitted the three drivers head to head. Other drivers participating in the contest were Andy Tiernan, Jason Hickingbottom, Al Wolfgram, Tony Hilgenberg, Eric Elliott, Randy Havlik, Devon Havlik, Mike VanGenderen, Tony Cox, Cory Sauerman, Shawn Ritter, Russ Dickerson, and Todd Shute.
Hot laps were scheduled for 5:45 last evening, with racing at 6:30. The HUGE line of drivers lined up at the pit shack at those times, changed all of that. Though the track was hoping that drivers would heed the plea to register on line early, thus making check in go faster, less than a dozen of the drivers accomplished that. Thus, racing action had the green flag drop at 7:25 p.m.
The track is implementing the My Race Pass app this year, which has many tracks signing up. It allows fans access to the line ups and results among other special features. It seems to be the new thing this year and it's worth a look at if you have not done so already. It can be found on your smart phone's app downloads.
Racing action kicks back into gear next Saturday night, April 28, at the Boone Speedway with hot laps scheduled for 5:45, and racing at 6:30. The IMCA RaceSaver Sprint cars will begin their season as they join the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Northern SportMods, and Mod Lites. The following week, the track goes back to its regular start time of 7:30.
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